Which to use
“verhält” and “versagt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,480
- “verhält” frequency rank
- #5,896
- “versagt” frequency rank
- 12376
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verhält | versagt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verhalten | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs versagen |
Where the eye mixes verhält and versagt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. verhält and versagt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: verhält vs versagt
A purely visual mix-up. verhält ([fɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) and versagt ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːkt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verhält is recorded at frequency rank #6,480, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]. versagt is at rank #5,896, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːkt].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 12376, this pair ranks #1,964,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verhält vs versagt
Shared letters: ertv. Private to "verhält": hlä. Private to "versagt": ags.
"verhält" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "versagt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versagt ← evrsagt · verasgt · verrsagt · versaggt · versagtt · versatg · versgat · verssagt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verhält" for "versagt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "verhält" or "versagt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verhält" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versagt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,964,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verhält" and "versagt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verhält vs verhüllt". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,964,533 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.